Staff Training, Appraisal and Development Documents
Training and development activities are crucial to improving business performance and can help prevent excessive turnover. It is important that training and development policies are fair and clear both from an employee’s point of view and in terms of protecting the employer’s investment in staff.
The training plan helps employers to plan their training activities and the training review form gives structured feedback on the effectiveness of the training delivered.
Structured performance appraisals offer another way of improving a company’s performance. They provide an ideal opportunity to discuss with individual employees their strengths and weaknesses and agree new aims and objectives with them.
Performance appraisals should take place during, and at the end of, the probationary period and once or twice per year thereafter.
Staff Training, Appraisal and Development Documents is part of Employment. Just £38.50 + VAT provides unlimited downloads from Employment for 1 year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to carry out performance appraisals by law? +
No legal obligation requires employers in England and Wales to conduct performance appraisals. However, running structured appraisals is strongly recommended as good practice: a well-documented appraisal process provides evidence of fairness, helps defend capability dismissals at an employment tribunal and reduces the risk of discrimination claims under the Equality Act 2010. The Simply-Docs Staff Appraisal, Training and Development Documents sub-folder contains appraisal forms, guidance notes and a personal development plan template to help you set up a consistent, legally defensible process.
I want to introduce structured staff appraisals - what documents do I need and how often should I hold them? +
To run a structured appraisal process you typically need: an appraisal policy, separate guidance notes for the appraiser and the appraisee, an appraisal form and a personal development plan. The Simply-Docs Staff Appraisal, Training and Development Documents sub-folder contains all of these as adaptable templates. As a practical guide, appraisals should be held during and at the end of any probationary period, and then once or twice a year thereafter. The training plan and training review form in the same sub-folder let you link appraisal outcomes to planned training activity.
My employee wants time off work to study or train - what are their legal rights? +
Eligible employees have a statutory right to request time off for study or training under section 63D of the Employment Rights Act 1996, where the employer has 250 or more employees and the employee has at least 26 weeks' continuous service. This is a right to request, not to receive: you may refuse on specified business grounds. Only one request is allowed in any 12-month period. Time off is generally unpaid unless you agree otherwise, and you need not pay course fees. The Simply-Docs Time Off Work For Training and Study sub-folder provides policy and letter templates to handle these requests.
I paid for an employee's training and they are leaving - can I reclaim the costs? +
You can recover training costs only if you have a properly drafted written agreement, signed by the employee before the training begins, that authorises repayment and any wage deduction. Without one, deducting costs from final pay is likely to be unlawful under section 13 of the Employment Rights Act 1996. Any repayment clause must reflect actual costs (not a penalty), use a sliding scale that reduces over time and comply with National Minimum Wage rules on deductions. The Simply-Docs Staff Appraisal, Training and Development Documents sub-folder includes training cost repayment agreements designed to protect your investment lawfully.
What documents do I need to set up a fair and effective staff training process? +
A complete staff training framework includes a training policy (setting out how training is allocated and funded), a training plan (to schedule activity strategically), a training review form (to record how effective each course was) and, where you fund external training, a training cost repayment agreement to protect your investment when employees leave shortly after training. The Simply-Docs group covers all of these through its two sub-folders: Staff Appraisal, Training and Development Documents and Time Off Work For Training and Study.
